Frome Care Village

Updated 18 November 2025

We carried out a comprehensive assessment of Frome Care Village between 2 December 2025 and 24 December 2025. We visited the home on 3 December 2025 and 11 December 2025, with additional telephone interviews on 9 December 2025.

Frome Care Village provides nursing and residential care for adults, including people living with dementia and mental health conditions. At the time of our visit, the service supported 49 people across two units.

This was a planned comprehensive assessment, where we followed up on previous breaches of legal regulation in relation to good governance and staffing, and concerns raised about medicines management, staffing consistency, and governance. This assessment found improvements had been made, and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.

Since our last assessment, the provider has made notable improvements. Consistent staffing levels and the culture at the home have improved, and people told us staff were kind and caring. Medicines were well managed, with daily audits and pharmacy reviews in place. The environment was clean and welcoming, and staff promoted choice and independence.

Staff files showed staff had a comprehensive induction and completed the providers mandatory training. We found some gaps in staff supervisions over the past 3 months, which the provider has committed to addressing by early 2026. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and management team and were motivated to provide good care. The provider told us they had been working to develop learning disability and autism training to suit their training model and was planned to be rolled out in early 2026.

Governance systems have strengthened, with QR code reporting and more effective remote monitoring in place. The new registered manager had improved staff morale and team culture, and staff spoke positively about leadership and support. Complaints were managed in line with policy, and the provider demonstrated learning from incidents.

Fire safety risk assessments completed for both unit in November 2024 had identified gaps in compartmentation, evacuation procedures, and staff fire training. Most of the recommendations in this report had been completed. The provider sent us details of actions and risk assessments in place regarding some of the outstanding actions. A new fire risk assessment had been completed during the assessment process, which the provider said they would review and act upon.

Updated 18 November 2025

People shared mixed experiences of living at Frome Care Village. Many spoke positively about the kindness and helpfulness of staff, describing them as “Gentle and kind” and “Exceptional”. Visitors said the home felt welcoming, with seasonal decorations and a relaxed atmosphere during mealtimes. People told us they could usually choose when to get up and go to bed, and staff respected their preferences.

People described positive experiences, such as “Staff are very helpful” and “Lunch is always good and tasty”. Visitors said they felt welcome and involved in care planning when their relative first moved in. However, records did not always show that people and relatives were involved in ongoing care reviews, and end-of-life wishes were not consistently documented. The registered manager started to act regarding these concerns during the assessment process.

Some people who stayed in their rooms told us they were bored. This was an area the provider had identified needed improvements and actions were in place to increase stimulation for people who stayed in their rooms.

Several relatives praised the cleanliness of the environment and the quality of food, noting that staff offered choices and alternatives when needed. Some people highlighted examples of staff going “Above and beyond”, such as arranging outings, supporting hobbies, and creating personalised spaces. These examples included staff rebuilding a greenhouse for a person who enjoyed gardening and arranging visits to local cafés for another person who had specific interests.

People generally felt safe and comfortable. Most said call bells were answered promptly, though a few mentioned occasional delays. Staff were observed promoting dignity and choice, and people said they were treated with respect.

People told us they were supported with personal care and that staff explained what they were doing. Visitors said they were welcomed and could visit freely.

Overall, people’s experience reflected a caring team committed to meeting individual needs, but improvements are needed in activity provision for those who remain in their rooms, and ensuring relatives are consistently involved in care reviews. A few people said they felt bored, particularly those who spent most of their time in bed, and relatives expressed concern about limited activities for people who did not join group sessions. While the Parsonage unit had engaging activities, such as craft sessions and animal visits, the Woodlands unit had external entertainers but was quieter, and records did not always show why people were nursed in bed or declined to get up. The provider had already identified this as an area for improvement and was working with staff to increase social activities for people who stayed in their rooms.

Healthcare professionals were positive about the day-to-day care and staff skills, describing them as “Amiable and helpful”, but noted that the provider’s policy for arranging assessments could be challenging. While frontline staff were praised for being caring and responsive.